AuthorTopic: Vintage Bats (Read 110309 times)

Having recently acquired what I consider to be a vintage bat, I thought I'd start a thread, hoping to see others upload their pics and opinions. I thought it also might give the younger members of the forum the opportunity to view some of the weird, wonderful and great bats of previous generations of cricketers!

So, first up we have this: Gunn and Moore Diamond Superstar, weighing in at just under 2lb 7oz. This is the short handled edition that I have acquired following owning one in the early nineties that long since passed away (or maybe my parents still have it, who knows!)

Very light at 2lb 7oz, it has a very flat profile, cut to look like a Diamond, and was introduced by GM circa 1991, although I'm sure someone can give me a proper date. I remember getting mine in 1994, so I'd expect that this one is at least 15 years old. These bats had many detractors, as a lot of people felt that they were planks, although I don't remember that being the case with mine, in fact I thought it was great and have been scouring ebay for one for ages.

The handle has a single rubber spring and the grain structure is surprisingly good for what I thought was a Grade 2 bat. Given its weight, you can see the magnificent edges should really be judged using the Fpote method, where a 5p piece is used rather than a 50p, but then, if you are going to middle them all, who needs thick edges?

Having had the mallet out on it, I'm not sure it would go like a train, but the rebound is more than passable and it feels as though it has a good few matches left in it. Based on the rebound testing, it definitely has a mid-positioned middle.

Pictures are below for everyone to enjoy, and I will also add the Hunts County Reflex to this thread at a later date.

I wish id have kept my old ones now, i had the Maestro version i believe in the original model size 6 tho

all the best players had a size 6 maestro, I had a harrow too.this diamond looks awesome.I have my first full size bat in my parents loft, but it doesn't have the original stickers as I was sponsored for a while... not a full sponsorship though.I had a reflex too, but mine was a lower end version a a bit of a plank!

Logged

"Bradman didn't used to have any trigger movements or anything like that. He turned batting into a subconscious act" Tony Shillinglaw

Second up is this Hunts County Reflex 8* weighing in at a massive 2lb 9.3oz. Again, a bat design from circa 1991 (anyone wishing to correct me please go ahead!). The Reflex apparently has a hole drilled down the centre to improve the pick-up. I recall one of my school team-mates having one and a number of us being a) very jealous because it seemed huge and b) wondering who on earth Hunts County were as none of our local sports shops stocked them.

It's certainly a reasonably meaty bat, for it's weight, but the looks don't match the 8* rating the stickers give it. Having used it in the nets, as a bat that hadn't previously been used, it actually went pretty well. It wasn't the train that some of the newer bats I have tried have been, but it certainly didn't disappoint.

A more advanced handle than the Diamond, it has a triple sprung handle, the age of the deign can still be seen in the edges, which are again not particularly thick. Then again, the middle is good and relatively large, so that isn't an issue.

Having done a mallet rebound test on it similar to the Diamond, I'd have to say that it rebounded slightly better along a greater length of the bat, however this could easily be down to it having more wood.